phil jones bass amps

[ian]

hi does anyone have one or tried one please thanks ian

[xgsjx]

I tried the Briefcase in GuitarGuitar about a year ago & wasn't really impressed, which was a disappointment as I think they look really sleek.
Found at low volume it sounded lovely using a Sandberg bass, but when I turned it up a bit it sounded a bit farty & I was wondering if the thing was meant just for low volume or if this one had a fault.

Defo try one before you buy IMO.

From reading below, I actually think it was the Suitcase I tried. It was a 4x5 combo.

Edited May 4, 2008 by xgsjx

[chris_b]

I tried the Suitcase and I didn't think it was very good..... then I added the 4x5 extension speaker and wow, what a difference. As an 8x5 set up it sounded great with a very good bass response.

[MacDaddy]

I had the Dalek - the 16B, 8T, and M500 head. The head is awesome. Tonewise it's all there, in my old school rock band it out Ampeged the Ampegs - IMO and the rest of the bands.

The cabs are as heavy as you would expect, having 16 speakers in the bottom and 8 at the top. I had to get rid because the 16B wouldn't fit in my new car, otherwise I would still have it.

[Happy Jack]

My most-used single piece of kit is the pjb Bass Buddy.

It's the size of a portable CD player and it's my headphone/practice amp for the evening, my DI box in the studio, and my pre-amp for my main home practice set-up.

I probably use less than half of the features, because it does a whole load of other stuff too.

[Marcus]

[quote name='chris_b' post='191745' date='May 4 2008, 06:42 PM']I tried the Suitcase and I didn't think it was very good..... then I added the 4x5 extension speaker and wow, what a difference. As an 8x5 set up it sounded great with a very good bass response.[/quote]

I owned the Suitcase with extension cab for a while...... In the house sounded great, Bass extension was truely unbelievable..... took it to a rehearsal and that was it..... totally vanished behind the drummer i'm afraid

HiFi ? Yes, would make a great studio set up !

Genuinely Gigable ? - No I don't think so (IMHO)

The bigger stuff may be a different bag

Mark

[Lo.]

I was a demonstrator for Phil at NAMM in January, so I'm bound to be biased........

His stuff is simply clean and clear - I've used all sort of stuff through the years and they all seemed to have their own sound, and change the bass tone to varying degrees. Phil's stuff doesn't do that IMHO (unless you start messing with the EQ) - you hear the instrument and your hands 1st.

The Briefcase was great - I expect the volume control and bass setting must have been a bit extreme for it if it farted. I spoke to a few upright players who swore by it for small gigs - the bass volume increases drastically when tucked into the corner of a room. The Flightcase and Super Flightcase were really popular at NAMM because of their weight. and those upright firing drivers are a really cool idea for gigs where you don't have much room on stage.

I have a Suitcase and 4B extension cab on order at the moment as this was my favourite rig at NAMM for its power/size/convenience. I had the honour of plugging Verdine White into that rig (after trying a M500/big cabs) and he decided to get one almost straight away! Tight, deep bass like I've never heard before - it was fun playing a few reggae riffs through that rig and seeing all the passers-by looking at the much bigger rigs, thinking that they were being used instead.

And if you want loud - just check out the M5000 and 24B - Phil's chief engineer calls it the killer rig - "if you want to kill someone, get this". Bob Babbitt said he used one and his friends driving to a stadium gig heard him warming up (just using the PJB rig, no PA) from 2 miles away.

[pjbass]

I have the briefcase, which i picked up soon after they came out in the UK. It was £450 at the time, but it was perfect for what i wanted. Small gigs, random rehearsals and general practice. (I've only used with a MIA Jazz)
I think it's a fantastic little amp, it's incredibly clean and quick. It won't hit you in the guts (it simply doesn't have the power) but it's a 'swiss army knife' in most situations. It's been a great help to me in the studio; the DI is fantastic, the optical compressor is well behaved and it sounds great with a bass or guitar. Since getting an Ashdown ABM setup, i've been tempted to rackmount the amp section (which is detachable) to use as a pre.

It's filled with clever touches, great design and built like a tank. Its so useful i can't imagine selling "little nellie". Although probably more a niche product, i definitely think it's one to try.

[ped]

I really want to give a flightcase a proper try at some point. On paper it sounds about right for me, I use IEMs and need something light because I suffer from back problems, so the Trace V4 stays at home. Clean and clear is exactly what I like.

[xgsjx]

If you're after something light then there's plenty of more powerful options, Markbass & Genz Benz to name a few.
I would recommend trying the PJB stuff as it does sound good, but from what I gather it's for the studio or gigs with PA or no drummers if you're taking it out the house.

The big Dalek thing looks totally outstanding IMO, but I'm heading down the route of MB 210 combo with a cab for bigger gigs. Not sure what to get tho, so gonna try various cabs & different brands from 1x15 to 4x10 & see what I like the sound of.

[jamesf]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='191876' date='May 4 2008, 10:04 PM']My most-used single piece of kit is the pjb Bass Buddy.

It's the size of a portable CD player and it's my headphone/practice amp for the evening, my DI box in the studio, and my pre-amp for my main home practice set-up.

I probably use less than half of the features, because it does a whole load of other stuff too.[/quote]

+1 on the bass buddy, i use it for recording and practicing. The in-built power amp even gets my recently completed BFM omni 10 shaking, and to a decent enough volume for living room practice. It's truly a hi-fi bit of kit, and the EQ is outstanding. The compressor isn't half bad either. I thought i had some problems with the DI out, but it might be the bass. I don't have any other preamps at the mo to try it with, but the unit seems solid. I'm considering pairing it with a power amp and calling it a rig, it's that good. Haven't tried any of the big stuff or the cabs, because i built a BFM instead of getting a PJB 4B, but i want to try a P1 preamp or possibly an M500 head to go with the rest of the BFM's i'm building.

[Mikey D]

I use the suitcase with (4b if required) for everything I do. I love the sound, size and look of it.

One of the best sounding amps I have used, but for the bigger gigs i play, i could do with a little more power, but it does the job.

[The Funk]

Tried out the briefcase once. Spent 20 minutes trying everything to get a decent sound of it. Failed miserably. May have been a dud unit or, more likely, a severely abused shopfloor unit (or me).

But I did a gig where Harambé played support for us. Their bassist used a huge PJB rig. It was loud and extremely clean. A bit too clean for my taste but it suited his playing, his bass and his sound perfectly.

I think the 5" drivers are basically mid-range speakers (hence the clarity) and he must work some mojo with the cabinet tuning to get the low end out of the cabs. Very interesting angle. I think the smaller stuff just suffers from a lack of power for some uses (so get the bigger stuff if you want it to sound bigger).

Edited May 12, 2008 by The Funk

[Lo.]

Phil explained to me that although it takes 4x5" drivers to get the same area as a 10" speaker, it's like a 10" speaker with a HUGE voice coil (which you can't get), which gives it a bigger punch. Also the stacking of the drivers really helps you hear a consistent tone as you stand at varying distances from the rig - more so than any other rig I've tried.

[Ba55me15ter]

I have the briefcase and as a practice amp, which is all I use it for, it is superb. Apart from the sound which is fantastically clear and detailed, it'll sit relatively unobtrusively down the side of a sofa or whatever so you're always ready for a sly funk!

[StevieC]

I'm the proud owner of a PJB suitcase and 4B extention cab and absolutely love the sound I get using my Fender Jazz. It's served me well in indoor and outdoor gigs and is easily carted around.

Yes, I agree that you won't be punched in the guts by my rig, but let's be practical here - In a lot of pub gigs you have to be sensible about your overall sound, with a good balance between lows, mids and highs.